abbie_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.25
I’ve read quite a few books this year that focus on domestic violence towards women and girls (Tomorrow I Become a Woman, Too Much Lip, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House) and of these I think The Bread the Devil Knead is the one best written. You can’t really say ‘favourite’ with such harrowing reads, but of the books tackling these topics I’ve read lately, Allen-Agostini has penned the most memorable.
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Written entirely in Trinidadian Creole, the book is narrated by Alethea, a 40-year-old manager of a clothing boutique who usually fends off friendships from other women. Her live-in boyfriend Leo beats her regularly, and Allie is fiercely determined to keep her affairs private. But when a woman is murdered by her lover in front of Allie’s shop and a chance encounter reunites her with her adopted brother, Allie is forced to reassess her life.
.
Allen-Agostini makes use of past and present chapters so we get a well-rounded view of all the events that have shaped Allie’s life. And please be warned that these events are some of the toughest you will read about - childhood r*pe, inc*st, physical abuse. Allie’s voice is so distinct and enjoyable (not in content!!) to read that you cannot help but root for her. I loved that after years of not allowing anyone into her interior life, she starts to open up to female friendships. Her relationship with her brother Colin was also a welcome relief from the trauma of her life.
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I think it’s obvious that the author is also a stand-up comedian, because despite the heaviness of the content, there’s a lightness to it through Allie’s humour. The ending is also incredibly cathartic, so although I’d recommend this one with caution, just know that there is some hope at the end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Incest, and Gun violence
tinkamasala's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
sidekicksam's review against another edition
Written almost entirely in Trinidadian Creole, this book follows the life of Alethea, known to some also as Miss Allie or Girlie. About to turn 40, she is in a relationship with a violent man, but comes before the choice of where she wants to go with her life. As we go deeper into the story, more troubling secrets from her past become unveiled, but how will she deal with them?
I don't want to waste too many words on this review because I'm having a hard time finding the right ones to describe how amazed, inspired and surprised I was about this book. Exploring themes of domestic abuse, generational trauma, colonialism, colorism and friendship, Allen-Agostini writes beautifully and engagingly. She could've written the story over 1.000 pages and I still would have wanted more, but that made it all the more amazing that she did it in less than 250 and it still made me feel so engrossed in the main character and her story.
Highly recommend. Go read.
I don't want to waste too many words on this review because I'm having a hard time finding the right ones to describe how amazed, inspired and surprised I was about this book. Exploring themes of domestic abuse, generational trauma, colonialism, colorism and friendship, Allen-Agostini writes beautifully and engagingly. She could've written the story over 1.000 pages and I still would have wanted more, but that made it all the more amazing that she did it in less than 250 and it still made me feel so engrossed in the main character and her story.
Highly recommend. Go read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Alcohol, and Incest
gobby_gilbert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abortion, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Death, and Classism
samants's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Phenomenal. The dialect is lyrical, and I enjoyed the challenge of reading something not written for me. The book is a portrait of abuse and therefore heavy and dark, but also stunning, and I adored the main character. The ending is wide open, and I love it.
Do mind the content warnings -- they are real and graphic.
Do mind the content warnings -- they are real and graphic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment
paochavezgt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Be careful if you choose to read this book. It can be very triggering. It is heart wrenching.
This was an excruciating read. I feel physically and emotionally ill. By all means I understand how powerful her writing and storytelling is. There are certain topics and storylines I'm simply not able to digest properly. The dread that i feel for Ali is uncanny, I hope she gets to surround herself with kind women, from this point forward. Although, I do question wether a victim of abuse would still enjoy certain things from their abuser, I believe reading this experience as hard as it is, gives a voice to survivors. Not a feminist voice, if I might say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia
celinecra's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was incredibly beautiful, even if it was a tough read, as I could feel the main character's pain through the words.
"Brutality is an inescapable inheritance of humanity, but so is love. As terribly as we can be hurt, so deeply can we be healed."
"Brutality is an inescapable inheritance of humanity, but so is love. As terribly as we can be hurt, so deeply can we be healed."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
ebweeks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Gun violence
tombomp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Big trigger warnings for domestic violence, rape, child abuse, an *explicit* child sexual abuse scene, Spoilerincest. All of which are intense and there are constant scenes throughout the book.
I think it's hard to put my thoughts together about this. It's a cavalcade of trauma and abuse and then it just ends so... neatly? Like, not that the scars are resolved obviously. But it feels weird - although even saying that feels wrong, as if I'm suggesting that actually the trauma should have carried on, which is also not what I meant.
I think part of it is that the neat ending owes very little to the actions of the main character in the "present day" - there's connections formed in childhood that only just come back around all at once and we only see bits and pieces of how they happened and Spoilera loose friendship where the other person seemingly took it upon herself to get the MC's abusive violent boyfriend shot in a way that framed him as the shooter? it's a little vague at the end exactly what happened and how much knowledge people had but it's heavily implied imo. That's not bad exactly - everyone needs support and it's good to show stuff happening as a group effort, obviously. It more just adds to the sense that things wrapped up due purely to coincidence than anything else. Which... again I guess that's not that inaccurate to real life. So again I can't exactly mark it down for that.
I think the explicit child sexual abuse scene really threw me for a loop and eclipsed everything else about the book. Not suggesting it's wrong to portray it, just it was so intense (even though I had to skim it) that I couldn't really get settled about how I feel about the book due to feeling so upset and lost reading that.
I will say as an obvious unalloyed good thing: the Trinidadian Creole writing style is really good and I loved reading it. It's an incredibly readable book that's quite compelling
I think it's hard to put my thoughts together about this. It's a cavalcade of trauma and abuse and then it just ends so... neatly? Like, not that the scars are resolved obviously. But it feels weird - although even saying that feels wrong, as if I'm suggesting that actually the trauma should have carried on, which is also not what I meant.
I think part of it is that the neat ending owes very little to the actions of the main character in the "present day" - there's connections formed in childhood that only just come back around all at once and we only see bits and pieces of how they happened and Spoilera loose friendship where the other person seemingly took it upon herself to get the MC's abusive violent boyfriend shot in a way that framed him as the shooter? it's a little vague at the end exactly what happened and how much knowledge people had but it's heavily implied imo. That's not bad exactly - everyone needs support and it's good to show stuff happening as a group effort, obviously. It more just adds to the sense that things wrapped up due purely to coincidence than anything else. Which... again I guess that's not that inaccurate to real life. So again I can't exactly mark it down for that.
I think the explicit child sexual abuse scene really threw me for a loop and eclipsed everything else about the book. Not suggesting it's wrong to portray it, just it was so intense (even though I had to skim it) that I couldn't really get settled about how I feel about the book due to feeling so upset and lost reading that.
I will say as an obvious unalloyed good thing: the Trinidadian Creole writing style is really good and I loved reading it. It's an incredibly readable book that's quite compelling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infertility, Incest, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Rape
sarumi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Rape, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault